Distress Signal
Image by JCK5D from Pixabay“Captain’s Log: At 0640 this morning, Duty Officer Rigby responded to a distress signal coming from a frozen world orbiting a white dwarf star. The atmosphere is largely methane, making any rescue difficult, but the real problem is that we are the first Earth ship to make it this far. Either the Chinese developed an Alcubierre drive in secret, or we’re about to meet our first aliens. And they use an S. O. S.”
Captain Welles leaned over the Coms station. “Has there been any response at all?”“Nothing, Captain. Just the same S.O.S.”
Ensign Wyland joined them. “Geographical survey shows the signal is coming from a deep valley thirty kilometers ahead.”
Welles nodded. “Maintain course, though I suspect we’re on a recovery mission, not a rescue. Any theories on how the ship got here? And don’t say wormholes.”
He looked around at the silent room of experts. “Well, we’ll know in a minute.”
As they crested the ridgeline, a bright light became visible, pulsing in time with the signal.
“It’s coming from a cavern in the eastern wall.”
“How long will we have in viro-suits at this temperature?”
“Minutes.”
“Alright. Set down and send out the rover.”
The moment they set down, the ground rumbled. The walls of the valley closed overhead, and from the cavern to the east, and five others like it, liquid flooded in to fill the resulting bowl.
“Red alert, weapons hot. Rigby, burn a hole we can get out through. Samson, identify that liquid.”
Rigby turned in his seat. “Sir, that’s thirty meters of solid granite. I estimate it will take twenty minutes to burn through.”
“Sir, the liquid is methane, mixed with…” Rigby swallowed her words.
“Out with it, Ensign!”
“Mixed with digestive enzymes.”
“Hawkins preserve us. This planet is an angler fish.”
~~~~~~
If you enjoyed this story, check out Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares. Thirteen tales of horror and dark fiction certain to keep you reading just one more.
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